Council of Twelve

Description

Based on the real-life witch hunts in 17th century Europe, this "excellent" (Booklist) mystery in the acclaimed Hangman's Daughter series is sure to fascinate modern readers--and chill them to the bone. Germany, 1672: Hangman Jakob Kuisl and his family travel to Munich for a meeting of the Council of Twelve, the leaders of the hangmen's guild. But something dark is happening behind the scenes: in the past weeks, young women have begun turning up dead. At first, the authorities assume they are a rash of suicides but, when Kuisl notices that each woman possesses a matching amulet, suspicions arise that someone is murdering these women. With no prime suspect, the superstitious townsfolk of Munich blame the hangmen's guild, certain that they have called the devil upon the city. Soon it's up to Kuisl who, along his daughter's help and the support of the Council, must solve the mystery behind the murders...or find himself the next victim.

OLIVER POETZSCH was for years a radio personality for Bavarian radio and a screenwriter for Bavarian public television. He is a descendent of the Kuisls, the well-known line of Bavarian executioners who inspired his novels. In addition to the bestselling Hangman's Daughter series, he is the author of the contemporary thriller, The Ludwig Conspiracy and the historical epic The Castle of Kings.

"Enthralling . . . . Poetzsch does his usual excellent job of making the period vivid, while offering surprising twists . . . This is a superior historical mystery." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review